Summary

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror game released in 2010 and developed and published by Frictional Games. A groundbreaking game in the horror genre, Amnesia spawned a number of sequels and launched an entire genre of horror let's plays...If ya didn't know. In Dark Descent you play as Daniel, a saint who has never done wrong. We find ourselves trapped in Castle Brennenburg circa 1839 Prussia. We are given the simple mission of killing the castle's lovely proprietor Alexander and remembering what on earth happened to us.

I've long had a replay of Dark Descent on my list of things to do. It just seems like one of those things you have to do. This is one I've played before (who hasn't?), but I've covered all the other games in the series on my channel and over the last year have been playing some of the best games of all time. Seems like a reasonable time to revisit DD. See how well it has held up over time and comment on the game's place in the series' larger narrative.

Review

It held up, still proper spooky and got me to jump a couple times. The section with the kaernk (the wretched invisible water creature) is still probably the scariest bit of the game. But it really is a marvel in efficiency.

I said as much once or twice in the playthrough, but I really would like to see more Amnesia games set in this sort of period. Machine, Rebirth, and Bunker are good fun, but the 1800s are a lovely place to set some fun horror that I feel is underserved without just delving into games that use the aesthetic of the period while existing in their own totally made up world. Or even go further back! An Amnesia that follows up on the Roman bacchanal stuff brought up in Bunker and is actually set there would be very fun.

But going back to Dark Descent, the game is well-known for its influence. Its mark on gaming is perfectly clear. And I would generally say deserved. The survival mechanics are a little half-baked. I wouldn't mind the game being a titch more difficult, or at least more involved. Which we do see in Rebirth and Bunker, of course. I'm more just saying that I would not mind a return to some spooky castles with this system that had a little bit more going on. And oooh that chase music...We gotta get that shit back.

I do have one complaint in that the ending felt rather sudden. We have that weird final confrontation with Alexander where it's not like extremely obvious what you need to do (I was going for the Agrippa ending). We have a super quick narration, credits fly by and then main menu. Felt like there could have been a little more work done in the lead up to it or something. But that's not a particularly big deal.

Links

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXbBIoFOxaQvrv1DlvRAqEJjzDw2Rmh31